A commentary from Amina Rasul. ---------------------- The perils of pork and veils By AMINA RASUL
The Philippines is a Catholic country in the midst of a Muslim majority region. Perhaps it is time to require that halal certification be required from all sellers of food and drink.
I am, by no means, an Islamic religious scholar. Thus, I run to learned Muslim religious scholars here and abroad when confronted by issues about my faith. After all, the first command given to our Prophet Muhammad, PBUH (peace be upon Him) was "IQRA!" "Read!"
On pork: By now, everyone has exhausted the subject of Rep. Fayzah Dumarpa’s reactions to eating pork. Muslims are enjoined not to eat pork or anything that is not halal, or allowed by our faith. In this, we are probably as strict as those who belong to the Jewish faith who cannot take anything which is not "kosher."
Thus, we make sure that what we eat is halal. While I may not agree with Representative Dumarpa’s reaction, I can understand her rage. For a devout Muslim like Fayzah, eating pork is anathema. Twice in my life I had unknowingly eaten pork, hidden in a dish. (I had been assured there was no pork in the dish served). I felt physically ill as soon as I swallowed the meat.
The Philippines is a Catholic country in the midst of a Muslim majority region. Perhaps it is time to require that halal certification be required from all sellers of food and drink. Not only do we have over 6 million Muslims residing in this country but we have thousands of Muslim foreigners who visit our shores. If we are to encourage tourists from Muslim countries, it is time we cater to their religious requirements. During the ASEAN Summit in Cebu, there will be delegates from three majority Muslim countries. Will they suffer Fayzah’s fate?
As to pork barrel, well that is another matter entirely.
On veils: I am part of an e-group of Tausugs. In the last couple of weeks, we have been exchanging emails on the use of the veil. Suffice it to say that the exchanges have become heated. I have always fought for the right of Muslim women to veil. Since the Constitution enshrines religious freedom, no one can prevent a Muslim woman from using the veil in school, at work and in other public domains. More and more Muslim women choose to veil to assert their Muslim identity. However, there are also many of us who choose not to. Are we committing a sin? My e-mails to my e-group resulted in two open letters addressed to me which accuse me of "sinning," because I do not veil.
There is raging debate on the issue of veiling. At the core of the debate is the meaning of Arabic words used to mean veil: hijab, or jilbab, and khimar.
Religious leaders tell us that the injunction to veil comes directly from a passage in the Koran that states: "Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty. They should draw their veils [Arabic term used is khimar] over their bosoms and not display their ornaments." 24:31.
Women are instructed to cover their bosoms, not their heads or their hair.
With regards to the hijab, or jilbab: "O, Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should draw over themselves their jilbab [outer garments] [when in public]; this will be more conducive to their being recognized [as decent women] and not harassed. But God is indeed oft-forgiving, most merciful." (33:59)
Thus, Muslim women at that time were instructed to wear an outer garment (jilbab) when going out of their homes to protect them from harassment. (Note that even at that time, women could go out of their homes presumably to go about their day-to-day activities. How such a liberated view could become reinterpreted to mean women cannot work or go out alone in mixed society has also been the subject of debates).
During the early years of Islam, women were often unveiled, even in town. It was only in the second Islamic century that the veil became common, a status symbol. Even in the 14th century, Ibn Battuta observed: "The Turkish women do not veil themselves. Not only royal ladies but also wives of merchants and common people will sit in a wagon drawn by horses. The windows are open and their faces are visible."
Dr. Ibrahim Kalin, who obtained his MA from the International Islamic University of Malaysia and now teaches Islamic theology in Massachusetts, wrote, "Although the Koran does call upon women to cover their heads, the measures change from tradition to tradition." He further notes, "While the Koran does not obliterate the need for hijab, Muslim women have a choice based on their circumstances. But Koranic injunctions definitely call for modesty in dressing."
While I choose not to veil, I will fight for the right of my sisters to veil. Perhaps, if the environment against Muslims should turn more discriminatory, I will also veil to make a statement. As of today, it seems to me that it is more important to make a statement by not veiling.
